L 



JU 



.C1W5 FOUR WEEKS 



,\Mi>X(, ~,,\|| .,1 



THE SIOUX TRIBES 



DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA, 



■io(;ether with a 



BRII-F CONSIDBKATIOX 



THE INDIAN PROBLEM 



HERBERT WELSH 



Host Office Address, West Walnut Lane, Gwmantown, Phflad<;li)hia. 



GUKMANTOWN, PHILADIiLrjlIA: 

rfDRACE P.XfcCANN/StEAM-POWER PK INl Ek. 
4958 Gkrmantown AvF.M.i:. 




Glass. 
Book. 



F1^ 



A 



FOUR WEEKS 



AMONG SOME OF 



THE SIOUX TRIBES 



OF 



DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA, 

TOriETHKR WITH A 

BRIEF CONSIDERATION 

OF 

THE INDIAN PROBLEM 

<D BY 

/ 

HERBERT WELSH. 

Post Office Address, West Walnut Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia. 



Germantown, Philadelphia: 

HORACE F. McCANN, STEAM-POWKR PRINTER, 

4958 Germantown Avenub. 

1882. 









A MONTH 



AMONG THE SIOUX INDIANS. 




E FOUND ourselves about midday, June 17th, at the little 
town of Chamberlain, Dakota, a place of some three hundred 
inhabitants, lying upon the east bank of the Missouri river. 
To this distant point we had come by the request of Bishop Hare, in 
order to gain some knowledge of the schools and missions established, 
under his direction, by the Episcopal Church, among the Sioux In- 
dians. As we left the train, our eyes sought eagerly for the Rev. Luke 
Walker, a full-blooded Sioux and a presbyter of the Church, who was to 
have met us at the station and thence to have conducted us to his 
mission among the Lower Brules, four miles distant, and within 
the limits of the reservation upon the other side of the Missouri. Our 
search was in vain, and not until late in the day, after we had made 
two ineffectual attempts to cross the river, did we find our friend, who, 
in company with Rev. Mr. Burt, had been detained later than was his 
expectation, at a distant point. Mr. Burt is one of those who came 
to this country ten years ago, from Berkeley Divinity School, after 
hearing William Welsh plead the Indian cause. He has ever since 
labored among the people as a faithful missionary and has acquired 
not only a knowledge of their character and customs, but also great 
proficiency in the Dakota tongue. We crossed the Missouri as the sun 
sank behind the reservation hills, with the blue sky above us from 
which the storms that had risen suddenly during the afternoon, and 
threatened an hour before, had now dropped to the horizon. Beneath 
us rolled a fierce muddy stream in whose waters, swollen by spring 
rains, our oars labored slowly. The evening was delightful, though 



4 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

windy, and nature about us so fresh that we could not but feel a sense 
of joyful anticipation as we crossed the moving boundary line which 
separates two distinct people. Our road to the Indian Agency lay 
through country quite similar to that which we had seen upon the 
east bank— broken hills, with their steep ascents and descents— which 
the reckless driving of our Indian friend made at times rather suggestive 
of a break down. A fine characteristic of this region is the singular 
clearness of the atmosphere, which gave a touch of peculiar beauty to 
the lonely hills about us, and an additional brilliancy to the young 
moon and Venus setting beyond. About nine o'clock we reached the 
outskirts of the Indian settlement, heralded by the barking of numer- 
ous dogs, who serve not only as guards to their owners, but also in 
due time as a replenishment to their larders. On our arrival at the par- 
sonage, which stands close to the Mission Church, we were welcomed 
by Mrs. Walker, the wife of our Indian friend. This lady is a white 
woman, well fitted by kind heart and courteous manner to aid her 
husband in his work among their dark-skinned brethren. Later in the 
evening we were visited by the head chief of the Brule tribe, Iron 
Nation, a tall, well-built man, whose cleanly dress and dignity of 
bearing would, doubtless, have surprised ■ those among my readers who 
imagine all Indians to be filthy and degraded. He wore moccasins, 
dark trowsers, a neat linen shirt, and a red handkerchief tied loosely 
around his neck. His black hair hung down in two plaits upon his 
shoulders. He greeted us with the ordinary Indian salutation, strange, 
though attractive to our unaccustomed ears, " How ! How!" followed 
by soft, indescribable intonations, and a gentle clapping of the hands, 
when any remark of ours gave him pleasure. The expression of his 
face seemed, to our perhaps prejudiced eyes, to indicate neither cruelty 
nor treachery, but rather kindliness and good will. We slept that 
night for the first time in a community of 1,500 Indians, among 
whom were, probably, not more than a dozen whites, including 
the United States Agent, his family and employees. Early Sunday 
morning, I looked out upon the view which my chamber window 
commanded— some level fields partly under Indian cultivation, a piece 
of timber land, a sunny strip of the Missouri, and beyond a line of 



A Month A)iiotio- till- Sioii.x Indians. 5 

rolling hills. As \\\\ eye ha|i[)cnc(l to glance al the foreground of this 
picture, on a little plot of grass lying close to the house, I noticed, 
with some curiosity, two pieces of white canvas flajjping up and down 
in the strong wind. At times a slightly different movement than that 
which the wind prudui ed drew my attention more ( arefully to thein, 
when, to my surprise, one of these objects was transformed into the 
tigure of a woman seated upon the earth, her white drapery drawn 
close about her head and person, whilst her face, which peered from 
beneath its folds, bore an expression of stolid grief. The woman, I 
learned, was one of the two wives of an Indian called Useful Heart, 
whose daughter, a maiden of sixteen, had but recently died. This 
young girl, some time before her death, had become a Christian, and 
was the only member of her family who had professed that faith. Her 
father, though a savage, and at one time bitterly opposed to the whites, 
seems not to have been wholly without natural affection, as his grief 
at the prospect of losing his child was excessive. He resolved to take 
his own life, a fact which greatly troubled his daughter, who begged 
him to relin^iuish his purpose, telling him that if he loved her he 
would no longer think of it. She had followed the '' new way " because 
she thought it the true one, and she therefore believed it would be 
impossible for them to meet hereafter if he died by his own hand. 
Her father at last yielded to her wish, and bef(jre her burial refused to 
allow her body to be painted according to Indian custom, as such was 
contrary to her desire. One of her brothers came shortly after, in 
obedience to her last request, to Mr. Walker's house, in order to part 
with his scalp lock, and to wear his hair thenceforth after the manner 
of the whites. This act is regarded as the first evidence of a leaning 
toward Christianity. The little lock of carefully braided hair, which 
this Indian boy once wore, is now in my possession and seems to me a 
mute reminder that the best and deei)est instincts of human hearts 
belong not to one race, nor to one color, but are the universal projjcrty 
of God's children upon the earth. 

A little before half-past ten o'chjck the ringing of the Mission 
Churc h bell summoned us to service. As we left the parsonage we saw 
the members of the Indian congregation gathering from all sides, 



6 A Month Among- the Sioux Indians. 

clothed in garments varied and picturesque. Many of the women 
were neatly dressed, and had red shawls or pieces of brilliant drapery 
thrown about their shoulders. They carried their babies in their arms 
or bound upon their backs. The men displayed a great variety of 
costume; some were wrapped in blankets, and looked as though just 
emerging from the old ways ; some wore coats, and were dressed very 
much as white men, while about some fluttered that unique emblem of 
American civilization, the linen duster. We found the church a plain, 
wooden building, with capacity for about 150 people, bright and 
cheerful inside, and enriched by a stained glass window above the 
altar. Those who shrink from the thought of contact with Indians 
and who conceive the war whoop their only utterance, and murder 
their daily pastime, would have been both astonished and edified could 
they have been present and have seen a native Sioux Indian, clothed 
in white surplice, conducting, in his own tongue, the service of the 
Church, and have heard the full responses and sweet singing of his 
fellow worshippers, men, women, and little children, who, but a few 
years ago, were utterly destitute of Christian instruction, and in many 
cases hostile even to the presence of white men among them. After 
service was over many of the men pressed forward to shake hands with 
us, and manifested redoubled interest and pleasure when the name of 
William Welsh was mentioned in connection with ours. We found he 
was remembered not only among the people at Lower Brule, but among 
all others whom we visited, as the staunch friend of the Indian race. 
More than one gift of considerable value was presented to us as a token 
of gratitude for his service of past years. The memories of these men 
are retentive as well of the kindness of their benefactors as the injuries 
of their enemies. At Lower Brule we took up the first link of a chain 
of evidence, in reference to the Indian question, which we were able 
to follow without break during the entire course of our trip, to the 
effect that the Indian, like most men, brings forth good or evil fruit 
according to the treatment he receives or the circumstances with which 
he is surrounded. If he be treated with kindness and justice, and 
be given opportunities for improvement and encouragement for indus- 
try, he will become a man; if, on the contrary, he be treated with 



A Month AmoNi:; the Sioux huUaus. 7 

contempt and injustice, if it l)c taken for granted that he is a degraded 
creature, worthy of any indignities his superiors may choose to inflict 
upon him, then he is likely to become, not a man, but a devil. The 
truth of this assertion might be apparent to any one who chose to 
make an unbiased investigation of facts. Unfortunately there are but 
too many who scoff at the elevation of the Indian, not so much because 
they believe him incapable of improvement, but upon the same princi- 
ple, as, in former years, the slaveholder ridiculed the elevation of the 
negro, because there is more money to be gained from him when igno- 
rant than when instructed. On Sunday afternoon we paid our respects 
to Major Parkhurst, who holds the position of agent at Lower Brule, 
and were received by him very courteously. In the evening, after 
service, five or six of the leading Indians connected with the Mission 
called upon us at the parsonage. They pleaded with eloquent dignity 
the hopeless outlook of their people, and urged an awakening of sym- 
pathy in the East, which might render their condition more favorable. 
Gladly, had it been in our power, would we have given them an assur- 
ance of such aid. On Monday we again called upon Major Parkhurst, 
who afforded us an opportunity of seeing the agent's office, issue 
house, and the class-room of the government boarding-school. Mon- 
day afternoon was spent in visiting many of the Indian cabins and 
tepees, in all of which we were received with courtesy, and in some with 
hearty cordiality. On Monday evening service was again held in the 
little church, where, notwithstanding a severe rain-storm, quite a 
goodly number of Indians were present. On Tuesday morning we 
reluctantly brought to a close this, our first visit to an Indian com- 
munity, much impressed by what has already been accomplished 
among a people whose temper, but a few years back, was hostile and 
dangerous. What has been done, however, is trifling compared with 
what might be done were such civil and religious opportunities aff"orded 
them on a large scale as has been proved indispensable to the proper 
development of our own race. After crossing the Missouri to Cham- 
berlain, we went by train to the little town of Springfield, situated on 
the river, about one hundred miles below Lower Brule Agency. Here 
we found Hope School, an institution founded and sustained by the 



8 A MontJi Among the Sioux Indians. 

missionary effort of the Episcopal Churcli, under the direction of 
Bishop Hare. We reached the school at about seven o'clock Wednes- 
day morning, after a journey of singular discomfort and fatigue, re- 
joicing to find ourselves in what we then surmised, and what afterwards 
proved to be, an oasis in the desert. Hope School lies a short distance 
from the town upon the breezy prairie-land which breaks into precipi- 
tous bluffs, whose sides are fretted and worn by the swift waters of the 
Missouri. Its situation is suggestive of health, air and freedom. It 
is a simple two-story frame structure, home-like in appearance, and 
pleasantly shaded by trees. We were cordially welcomed by Mrs. 
Knapp, the house-mother, who showed us into a cool, tastefully ar- 
ranged parlor, fragrant with the odor of wild roses. As we sat there, 
surrounded by everything suggestive of peace and comfort, and heard 
from the adjoining rooms the sweet voices of Indian girls singing at 
their household work, we could not but ask ourselves, " Can this be the 
home of savage children whom some hold it money wasted to care for 
and to teach?" After breakfast we visited the school-room, where we 
found about twenty children, boys and girls, varying in age from six 
to eighteen, quietly assembled. Before beginning the lessons of the 
day, under the supervision of Miss Knight, each child was asked by 
Mrs. Knapp what duties he or she had previously performed. To this 
question, some such reply as the following was given in clear, distinct 
English, " I made my bed, washed the dishes, picked up chips, took 
bugs off the potato vines, swept the school-room." Thus we learned 
that all had shared in the performance of household work before 
beginning the duties of the class room. The advantage of such 
training is, of course, manifest, as not only are the girls thus accus- 
tomed from an early age to work that will be most valuable to them in the 
future, but also the baneful idea, so prevalent among the Indians, that there 
is degradation in labor, is early counteracted in the boys. We could not 
but experience a feeling of amusement and satisfaction, when, at the closing 
exercises, a week later, we saw these Indian youths, and among them a lad 
of eighteen, march into the school-room, each bearing upon his shoulder 
that peaceful emblem of industry, a common broom. After all of 
Mrs. Knapp's questions had been answered. Miss Knight began the 



A Moutli Af/io//or ///^. Sioux Indians. 9 

lesson for the <la\ . A lai\L,fe lard, upon \vhi( li was a neat woodcut, 
hung over the school-room door. This j)i(:ture represented a little boy 
sleeping upon a carpenter's bench, with tools and j^laythings scattered 
in confusion about him. The cliildren were retjuired to write upon 
their slates a descrii)tion of what the)' saw upon the < ard. We had an 
opportunit)- of examining the slates, when the ( hildrcn had hnished their 
lesson, and were much surprised with the variety and clearness of the 
descriptions, and the excellent handwriting in which they were expressed. 
The day following, Bishop Hare joined us on his return from a 
visitation to the various Mission stations, higher ujj the Missouri. His 
arrival gave us great pleasure, as it afforded us not only the society of 
a friend, but also the conversation of one whose long experience in the 
Indian country made his opinions interesting and valuable. Each ad- 
ditional day at Hope School impressed us more tbrcibly than the last 
with the good such an institution can accomplish. The change 
wrought in the children, by the devoted labors of Mrs. Knapp and her 
assistant, from their unpromising condition when taken from camp life, 
has indeed been marvellous. To witnesses of such work, the greatest 
difficulties of the Indian (juestion melts away. The boys and girls 
about us, and with whom we lived under the same roof, were as bright, 
as active, and as happy as the best of those one might meet at home. 
Whether in the class-room, at play, or when attending to the simplest 
duties of household or garden, their conduct seemed to us equall\- 
admirable. Their obedience and respect towards their teacher, when 
engaged in school work, did not strike us more forcibly than the joy- 
ous freedom of their games when study hours were over and books had 
been cast aside. During our week's stay at Hope School, we heard no 
angry or unkind word from any of the Indian children, nor did we see 
any brow clouded by ill temper or discontent. Such happy results as 
these, however, were not obtained in a day, for when the school was 
begun, some four years ago, difficulties were encountered which |)r()m- 
ised little hope for the future, and were overcome only by patience 
which never tired, and faith which nothing could daunt. The popu- 
larity of the Bishop's schools is now so great among the Indians that 
numerous applications for admittance must be refused, through lack of 



lO A Month Among the Sionx Indians. 

room and funds, which fact forms one of the many proofs that these 
savage men are more ready to receive, than we to give, the benefits of 
civilization. 

During our stay at Springfield, we crossed the Missouri to Santee 
Agency, where St. Mary's boarding-school for Indian girls is located. 
No one living in the East can well understand how great a barrier the 
swift waters of this broad stream offer to travel, or to what vexatious 
delays a missionary is obliged to submit in his efforts to cross it. Hour 
after hour must frequently be passed with the object of one's journey 
perhaps clearly in view, until the fierce winds which fret the river's 
surface have subsided, or the ferryman, upon whom a traveler is en- 
tirely dependent, is willing to leave the opposite bank and come to the 
rescue. Our experience in endeavoring to go from Hope School to 
St. Mary's was such as to make us fully appreciate the difficulties at- "^ 
tending western travel. Some three hours in all were sacrificed before 
we found ourselves, on the afternoon of June 23d, crossing the hot, 
sandy bottom lands, sparsely shaded by cottonwood trees, which lay 
between us and the Agency. St. Mary's school, with the church and 
parsonage, lies side by side, in a grove of trees whose foliage gives at 
once a homelike air to the buildings beneath, and serves to shelter 
innumerable mosquitos, with which the country is infested. 

This institution, unlike Hope School, is for girls only, of whom we 
found, upon our arrival, some forty, gathered from various tribes and 
localities, in the school-room, and engaged with the closing exercises. 
The age of the scholars varied from ten to seventeen years. Their ap- 
pearance was interesting and attractive — ^just such bright, happy faces 
as we had noticed in our former experience at Springfield. In addition 
to the scholars present, 'the school-room was quite crowded with white 
visitors from the Agency, and the neighborhood across the Missouri, 
together with a sprinkling of Indians — relatives of the children. The 
exercises were in every way creditable to those who took part in them, 
and to Miss Francis, the enthusiastic and efficient teacher in charge. 
Varied questions in arithmetic, spelling, grammar, or geography, were 
answered, verbally or upon the blackboard, with few mistakes. We 
could not but remark the singularly distinct, in many cases, beautiful 



A MoHtJi Attiong the Sioux Indians. 1 1 

handwriting of those Indian girls. It was siu h as wc believe a corre- 
sponding number of our own thildren would find it impossible to 
equal. A very pretty series of calisthenic exercises was performed 
with regularity and precision, to an accompaniment upon the melodeon ; 
also choruses were very well sung, and several duets played by the 
scholars. When the exercises were concluded, a few impressive words 
of encouragement were spoken to the children by Bishop Hare and 
Mr. Lightner, Indian Agent at Santee ; and then the little gathering 
dispersed. How excellent a thing for the cause of right would it be 
could intelligent people from the East, see not only evidences of mental 
training, which these Mission Schools are giving to Indian children, 
but also observe the practical knowledge of household work which they 
are rapidly acquiring ! I can hardly speak too strongly of the impres- 
sion which was produced upon us by this examination. Here are 
children, brought but a few months ago from the ignorance and filth 
of savage camps, from the closest contact with the barbarity of a no- 
madic and warlike people, who have already shown qualities of intel- 
lect and of heart, and have developed habits of cleanliness and order 
which reflect credit upon themselves and upon their teachers. At 
every turn, one feels the possibilities which await them, could not only 
a few devoted persons, but the nation at large, apply in their case 
those principles of justice which are so necessary to the well-being even 
of our own superior humanity. The good results which these schools 
have reached, are, I think, in a large measure, due to the wise admin- 
istration of Bishop Hare, as their overseer, and the superior qualities 
of the earnest Christian women who have them in charge — women who 
have brought into their field of labor a devotion to their work, and an 
enthusiasm and wisdom in its performance which has already reaped a 
fair harvest, and which promises one still more bountiful in the future. 
With more than human fortitude and unswerving determination, they 
have led a so-called forlorn hope into the wilderness, and as objects of 
pity, contempt or derision, have gone far towards solving a problem 
which the world calls insolvable ! We passed Friday night at St. 
Mary's, where, notwithstanding the oppressive heat, we were, thanks 
to the kind attention of the ladies in charge, made very comfortable. 



12 A Month A}/ long the Sioux Indians. 

Early the following morning, 1 was awakened by tlie sound of a rush- 
ing wind, which swept against the roof and chimneys above us, not in 
broken gusts, but with a low and steady roar, more like a torrent of 
falling water than a disturbance of the atmosphere. I ran to the win- 
dow with some anxiety, remembering the terrible storm which devas- 
tated Santee ten years ago, and by which the Mission buildings were 
completely destroyed. I looked out upon a tumult of clouds, driven 
before the wind, their western edge dark and angry, whilst that to- 
wards the east was tinged with pale yellow by the dawn. Beneath 
them, trees and shrubs bent and broke before the tempest, whilst sand, 
small branches and leaves filled the air. Fortunately, with us, no 
serious damage was done ; but in Iowa, the same storm which had 
traversed Dakota resulted in great loss to property and to life. There 
are about seven hundred Indians settled on the reservation at Santee, 
and their progress in civilization is in many ways more positive and 
general than that of any of the people whom we have visited. Nearly 
all of them live in houses, and are engaged in farming. Near St. 
Mary's School, we noticed crops of corn and oats further advanced 
than any which we had seen. These belonged to a young Indian, 
whose character for intelligence and industry stood very high. Rev. 
Mr. Fowler, the clergyman in charge of the Mission Church, has under 
his care some half dozen Indian boys, who not only live in his house 
and receive their schooling at his hands, but also are given a practical 
knowledge of labor in the garden and the field. On Saturday morn- 
ing, after a visit to Mr. Lightner, at the Agency, who gave us many 
facts of interest concerning his work, we returned, in company with 
Bishop Hare, to Hope School, at Springfield. On Sunday morning, 
the Bishop held service at the little Episcopal Church in the town, 
when a very good congregation was present. Later in the day, we 
again crossed the Missouri to Santee, where the Bishop administered 
the rite of confirmation, during the afternoon service, to a number of 
Indian men and women. A service in the evening closed the labors 
of the day. On Monday, we visited the Presbyterian Boarding School, 
under the admirable and successful management of Rev. Alfred L. 
Riggs. The work which we saw at St. Mary's School impressed us as 



A Month Amo/zj^ the Sioux Indians. 13 

did that we had seen at "Springfield. Everywhere reguhirity and order 
showed the adniiral)le management by whi«h Miss Ives, the house- 
mother, directed the institution, and by which Sister Mary and Miss 
Francis, the hidies associated with her, supported Iier efforts. And not 
only was it manifest that the routine duties of the school were well 
performed, but also that an interest and affection existed between 
teachers and scholars, such as institutions of this sort rarely attain. 
The closing exercises at Hope School, to which we returned, took 
place on Monday, June 26th, and were repeated on the following day 
for the benefit of those Intlians whose children were at the institution. 
All the children, both boys and girls, acquitted themselves as credit- 
ably as those at St. Mary's had done. We were quite as much pleased, 
however, by their modest demeanor and gentle manners as by the pro- 
ficiency which they e\inced in their studies. On Tuesday afternoon, 
after a hearty farewell to Mrs. Knapp and the children, we started by 
carriage, in company with Bishop Hare, for vSt. Paul's School, at 
Yankton Agency. This drive of about thirty miles was very interest- 
ing. It lay over the rolling prairie, at first broken only at intervals of 
many miles, by trees, streams or valleys — a landscape strange to east- 
ern eyes. Towards sunset, magnificent stretches of the Missouri broke 
upon us, and to our left the prairie folded itself into great promonto- 
ries, with quiet valleys between, which melted to green bottom lands, 
fringing the river's bank. We had seen no solitude more impressive. 
Occasionally, we passed an Indian on horseback, or a lonely cabin with 
its little patch of cultivated ground. Some time after nightfall, antl 
with an ominous gathering of thunder-clouds about us, we reached St. 
Paul's School, where an eager crowd of boys shouted a chorus of wel- 
come to the liishoii, and conducted us to the house. 

Early the following^morning, the ringing of a bell summoned us to 
the school-room for prayers. We found ourselves in a new and pleas- 
ant building, a recent gift to the Mission from some of its Philadelphia 
friends. It is two stories in height, with one large airy room on the 
second floor. Here we found the Bishop, teachers and boys, assem- 
bled for a short and simple service of prayer and praise. There was a 
great difference in these children, both as to age and appearance ; 



14 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

some were little fellows of six or seven years/ whilst among the older 
scholars were those^who deserved to be rather called men than boys 
Some, too, were so fair of skin and delicate of features as scarcely to 
reveal their Indian blood, whilst others bore the strongest character- 
istics of their race. Two among them, we learned, were brought six 
months ago, from the camp of Sitting Bull, now under guard at Fort 
Randall, one of whom is the son of the famous chief. These children 
were in the camp at Little Big Horn River when it was attacked by 
Gen. Custer, with such disastrous results to himself and his command 
The main building at St. Paul's is, for the frontier, quite an imposing 
structure, as we saw, after prayers, in strolling towards it. It stands 
upon a slight emmence, above the river, overlooking the agent's house 
the Government building, with its rigid walls, and the old stockade 
fort, beneath whose protection, where guns once bristled, smiles a 
peaceful patch of vegetables. It is built of pale yellow stone, cut from 
a distant quarry in Nebraska, and brought, at great expense, to this 
place, for its erection. Here, as at Hope School, the scholars took 
their meals at the same time, and in the same room, though at differ- 
ent tables, with the teachers and guests of the house. Before sitting 
down, grace was not said, but sung ; one of the older scholars striking 
the first note and the others joining heartily. At St. Paul's as at 
Hope School and St. Mary's, we were as much struck by the charac- . 
ter of the teachers as by the quickness or docility of the children 
under their charge. A thoroughness of discipline, joined to a steady 
enthusiasm for the cause, seemed to characterize all whom we met and 
to account for the wonderful success with which their labors have al- 
ready been rewarded.^ One could not be long with Mrs. Johnstone 
the house-mother, or see Mr. Henry, or Mr. Edward Dawes in the 
school-room, without feeling where the secret of their power lay 
Surely, more complete than the victory of bullet and sabre is that won 
by these simple qualities of heart and head. It had been our intention 
after leaving St. Paul's to travel across the prairie, by wagon, to Rose- 
bud Agency, a journey of five or six days' duration. But the loss of 
the flatboat at Fort Randall, which was swept away during a severe 
storm, by which we were prevented from crossing the Missouri at that 



A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 15 

point, and a report, which afterwards proved false, to the effect that 
the Indians at Rosebud threatened an outbreak, changed the course of 
oiir route. By a two days' journey in Bishop Hare's wagon, during 
which we crossed the river at Niobrara, we reached the town of Ne- 
ligh, in Nebraska, on the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad, and went 
thence by train to Fort Niobrara. 

Our visit to Fort Niobrara was the first we had ever paid to a fron- 
tier military post, and there came over us, as we approached it, memo- 
ries which spoke rather of the old world than of the new — where a 
soldier's life seems out of harmony with- ordinary occupations. The 
"fort," if such a term may rightly be applied to a place destitute of 
both artificial and natural defences, lies on a broad, level piece of 
ground, upon the east bank of the Niobrara river. Just west of the 
stream, rise high sand bluffs, from which an enemy might render mat- 
ters very uncomfortable for those on the low ground. As we drew 
near the fort itself, we passed quite a large number of gray cavalry 
horses, browsing peacefully in the bright July sunshine, and further on, 
a troop of bays. Occasionally, a blue-coated soldier would trot briskly 
by. We found the fort in quite a state of commotion owing to the 
national holiday, which had attracted numerous visitors, especially 
"cowboys," or cattle herders, from the neighboring country. Horse 
races, foot races, and sports of a similar nature were the order of the 
day. As soon as our baggage was safely deposited, we proceeded to 
the officers' quarters, in order to pay our respects to the commandant. 
Captain Montgomery. We did this simply as an act of etiquette, and 
great was our surprise at the cordial reception we met with. To I-ieu- 
tenants Paddock and Macomb, we were especially indebted for the 
most delicate attentions; a room was assigned us which, after our 
traveling experience of the last few days, seemed in the highest degree 
luxurious, and on the following day every amusement which a garri- 
son life could afford was put at our disposal. Early on Thursday, 
July 6th, after saying farewell to our kind hosts, we started, by wagon, 
for Rosebud, the ultimate point of our journey. For thirty-five miles, 
our route lay over absolutely unbroken prairie, almost destitute of 
water, and with scarcely a sign of animal life. When a short distance 



1.6 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

from the Agency, but before it was in sight, we saw four Indians gal- 
loping towards us. Their appearance was wild and picturesque. With 
rifles balanced upon their saddle-bows, blankets wrapped about their 
loins, bare heads, ornamented with feathers or trinkets, and faces 
touched with vermilion and ochre, they were worthy of record upon 
canvas as typical warriors of the plain. Their intentions were alto- 
gether pacific, as we learned from our driver, of whom they inquired 
whether we had passed two ponies which had strayed from Rosebud 
the preceding day. Having gained the desired information, they gal- 
loped off over the prairie. . A few moments later we reached Rose- 
bud Agency. A sudden fall of the ground, below the ordinary level 
of the plateau we had crossed, revealed a deep valley, intersected by a 
small stream, and surrounded by precipitous sand hills. On the side 
of one of those hills we saw the agent's house, with adjacent buildings, 
while, scattered in every direction, over hill and valley, were Indian 
"tepees" and herds of sleek ponies grazing about them. In front of 
us lay the little cross-crowned church, with its parsonage, the home of 
Rev. Mr. Cleveland, the E^piscopal missionary. 

We met with a warm reception from this gentleman and his wife, 
also from Mr. Burt, whose acquaintance we had made some weeks ear- 
lier, at Chamberlain. The afternoon was spent in strolling about the 
neighboring hills among Indians and their tents, and in discussing the 
condition of affairs at Rosebud. The scene about us was strikingly 
picturesque. Men of a more savage aspect than any we had hitherto 
met with might be seen scouring the hills upon their ponies. Their 
costumes of vivid and varied colors ; white, yellow, red, green, blue 
and black, appeared intensely brilliant against a background of gray 
sand, or the faded herbage of the hills. The appearance of white visi- 
tors is rather unusual at the Agency, and consequently we were re- 
garded with some curiosity. One man asked of Mr, Cleveland, in 
Dakota, " What have those men come for?" His reply that business 
connected with the Mission had brought us seemed entirely satisfactory. 
Whilst all we saw was from an artistic standpoint, striking and attrac- 
tive — far more so, indeed, than what we had observed elsewhere — the 
moral aspect of everything about us was gloomy and depressing. 



A Month Aino7ig the Sioux fndians. ly 

Children there were in abundance — dirty, unkempt little ( reatures, 
scampering like rabbits across our path, or peeping shyly from the 
folds of a "tepee," but no school for their instruction. One there 
had been, indeed, but for some reason it was converted into an agent's 
office, and now the young people of Rosebud must be content with 
the distant chance of Hampton, Carlisle, or one of Bishop Hare's 
schools, for whatever training they are to receive. We saw no fields 
under Indian cultivation, as we had done at the other Agencies, 
though there is no reason why the ground should not l)c abundantly 
productive, judging from the crops we noticed on a farm some three 
miles from the parsonage, where oats, corn, potatoes, and other vege- 
tables flourished. The people everywhere seemed to be utterly desti- 
tute of any employment calculated to stimulate or develop (heir dor- 
mant energies; energies which we know exist, and which we know, 
too, are capable of development. Towards sunset the church bell 
rang for evening prayers, for strange though it may seem, daily service 
is held regularly in this remote region, and what is still more odd, 
there is always a good attendance. The congregation, for the most 
part, is composed of half-breeds, and white men who have married 
Indian women, although among these there is quite a sprinkling of full 
bloods. One man, whose accjuaintance I made a few days later, jour- 
neys eighty miles every week to attend service (he lives forty miles 
from Rosebud), and his seat in the church on Sunday is rarely vacant. 
The day after our arrival was one of stir and a( tivity in the camp, for 
it was that upon which rations are issued to the people, not in the form 
of meat prepared by the butcher, but " on the hoof" as it is termed. 
Wild Texan cattle are turned loose every tenth day, and the Indians 
are allowed the sport of hunting and shooting them while they run at 
large. Early in the morning we saw men prepared for the chase gallop 
past our windows in every direction, and by ten o'clock the hills were 
alive with horsemen and the frightened animals, which vainly sought to 
escape them. We could see the puffs of smoke and hear the crack of 
rifles all about us, and we congratulated ourselves that no ill -directed 
bullet or stray steer came towards us. Our arrival at Rosebud was just 
after the conclusion of the Sun Dance, quite a notable event of the 

2 



1 8 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

Indian year, when a general gathering of people from all directions 
is held at a given point ; at which young men show their bravery by 
indifference to self-inflicted injuries, and those who have acquired 
more wealth than their fellows are expected to be prodigal in their 
gifts to persons less fortunate or more lazy than themselves. The 
social element of the Sun Dance, doubtless, is beneficial, but the bar- 
barous tortures, which to a greater or less degree characterize it, seemed 
to us calculated to keep alive old and savage customs, and therefore 
to be most undesirable. Could not the Government, through the in- 
strumentality of its agent, and by very simple diplomacy, turn this 
heathen festival into a Fourth of July picnic, offer some serviceable 
reward lo those who had proved themselves industrious during the 
year past, discourage a baneful generosity on the part of those whose 
labors had won success, and entirely prohibit the degrading spectacle 
of self-torture? On Saturday, we paid a visit to the trader's store, to 
the house presented by our Government to the famous chief Spotted 
Tail, and to the Brule camp, situated about one mile from the agent's 
office. Outside and inside the stores, we found many Indians idly 
gossiping among themselves, or lounging listlessly over the counters. 
Many of them were tall, powerful men, but their blanket costume, 
painted faces, and wild appearance showed how little progress civiliza- 
tion had made among them. We next visited Spotted Tail's house, a 
dreary monument of wasted funds ! We were told that it cost the 
Government five thousand dollars, and yet now its condition is deplor- 
able. Its rooms are almost devoid of furniture and its whole aspect is 
shabby, filthy, and forlorn. It is a wooden structure three stories in 
height, and when first built, doubtless, was, to Indian eyes, of palatial 
proportions. It reminded us of a third-class seashore boarding-house 
which v/as about to be abandoned by its occupants. This gift to their 
chief proved a source of jealousy and discontent among his people, 
who found it difficult to understand why he alone should be the recipi- 
ent of so costly a favor. Had this large sum of money been so spent 
as to promote general industry, rather than to gratify the selfishness of 
a man whose influence with his tribe was always hostile to progress, 
doubtless the results would have been better. We saw the_spot where 



A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 19 

he died, last year, at the hand of Crow Dog, his old enemy and rival. 
An amicable adjustment of the difficulty which this act of violence 
caused between the friends of Spotted Tail and those of Crow Dog 
was made, according to Indian custom, by the payment of six hundred 
dollars and a number of ponies on the part of the murderer. Notwith- 
standing this arrangement, however, ("row Dog, who gave himself up 
immediately after the murder, was tried before a civil courts and sen- 
tenced to death ; but as the day on which he was to have been executed 
has now passed without result, it is thought probable that he will gain 
a new trial. The Indians at Rosebud quite unconsciously presented 
to us a series of brilliant pictures, with a touch of tlie Orient about 
them, which might have inspired the genius of Delacroix or Decamp. 
One scene which we witnessed on our return from the Brule camp im- 
pressed itself particularly upon my mind. As we descended a little 
hill and were about to cross a stream which ran at its base, we saw ap- 
proaching us from the opposite side, and marching in single file, a 
company of some thirty warriors, men of great size and lofty bearing, 
whose brilliant costumes and strange ornaments sparkled in the sun- 
shine. They were from Sitting Bull's band in the north, and were 
on the way to a council about to be held in a neighboring tent. Nearly 
all of them in passing us stopped and returned our salutation with a 
.hearty hand-shake and cordial " How ! How!" Sunday, our last day 
at Rosebud, was passed quietly and pleasantly. Three services were 
held in the church ; those of the morning and evening were conducted 
in the Dakota language, while that of the afternoon was in English. 
After morning service I received a visit from an Indian named White 
Elk, the same man to whom I already alluded as coming from such a 
great distance to church. Mr. Cleveland acted as our interpreter. 
After some preliminary conversation. White Elk said to me, "My 
friend, it is now seven years since I gave up my wild life and have 
tried to live as a white man, to work the ground, to plant and raise 
my own corn ; but I have no plough, and am greatly in need of other 
implements. When you go to your home will you see the Great Fa- 
ther at Washington, and tell him what I want? Perhaps he will help 
me." There was something touching in the simplicity of this man's 



20 A Montli Among the Sioux Indians. 

request — it was the plea of one seeking to do right in the face of terri- 
ble discouragements. 

It was with regret that we left Rosebud, as we were obliged to do, 
on Monday morning. We had seen much there to interest us, much 
that was food for reflection. We had been among seven thousand 
people just emerging from a nomadic and savage life ; a people who, 
with a few bright exceptions, are idle and ignorant, with no induce- 
ments to work, no chance for knowledge ; a people under no restraint 
of law, with weapons in their hands, and yet rarely guilty of any 
outrage ; a people composed of men, women and children, like our- 
selves, and as we are, capable not only of evil, but of good. What 
these are capable of is plainly demonstrated by what Dr. McGilly- 
cuddy, the agent at Pine Ridge, has already accomplished among 
men but two years ago equally savage. Through his zealous and able 
efforts an efficient police force has been organized, eight school 
hous^have been built, farming has been successfully encouraged, and 
a general advance in civilization has been made, to which not only 
missionaries, but army officers, testify. As we took a last view of the 
Indian camp, and turned our steps eastward, we could not but feel 
how great, and grand a work might be accomplished, even among 
the wildest Indian tribes, by the exercise of simple faith, of judgment, 
and of justice. 



SUM M A R Y. 



^HE close of our short stay in tlie Indian country found us deeply 
. impressed by what we had learned from personal observation and 
contact with a people whose outward progress and inner life is, for 
the most part, unknown even to thinkinj; men and women in the 
East. It is my purpose now to present in a simple and unpretentious 
way the result of my impressions, with the hope that those who can 
feel for sufferings inflicted, and who care to right wrongs endured 
beyond the limits of their own threshold, will stop to hear and exert 
themselves to aid the cause I would advance. First, my obse^-ations 
convinced me that the cry of " help the Indian !*' comes most 
strongly from the mouths not of those who are sentiment^, but who 
are practical in the exercise of their charity. They would point not 
to the noble red man of waving plumes and daring courage, who has 
been driven across rivers, mountains and prairies, from the eastern to 
the western sea, but to the simple child of God's creation, in whose 
heart burns the same mixed flame of good and evil, which lights or 
blasts the white man's richer life. And as they plead the Indian 
cause they would hold tenaciously to the theory of the possible devel- 
opment of all men and their elevation from a lower to a higher life, 
by means of Christian teaching and a wise j)oIiticaI protection. In 
support of such a theory they would em])loy the solid argument of 
facts. There are, then, two divisions of the Indian question wdiich it 
seems to me important to make, and to which I would invite attention. 
The first is religious, the second political. Let men regard the Chris- 
tian religion as true or false, of divine or human origin, there are but 
few who can doubt its power as a practical element of civilization. 
To us this power seemed everywhere visible among the people whom 
we visited, and its record of good we saw graven in characters broad 



22 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

and deep. We meet in the remote wilderness Christian men and 
women, in many cases persons of great refinement and cultivation, of 
earnest zeal and sympathy with their work, who were manifest centres 
of life and progress, and were worthy of every private and public 
encouragement as the benefactors of society and of the State. At 
Lower Brule Agency, where the native clergyman, Luke Walker and 
his wife, were engaged in missionary labor, a marked result of the 
Church's influence was apparent. In dress, in manner, in life, we found 
the Christian distinguished from the heathen Indian. We saw men 
who, within a few years, had derided the Church, and had sought to 
deter their people from joining it, now living as its exemplary mem- 
bers, or, who, if not openly confessing its creed, were greatly affected 
by contact with it. Mr. Walker himself seemed to us a strong 
example of what an Indian may become, as he was, though of un- 
mixed Sioux blood, a civilized man, living in a clean, tastefully- 
furnished and comfortable house, attending faithfully to his duties 
among his people, and, through his hold upon their confidence and 
affection, winning them to a better life. Here, then, is ground for 
the statement that missionary effort, even from a material point of 
view, is not wasted force. The Indian has sufficient intelligence to 
perceive the motives which prompt white men to go to him. Those 
who go for purposes of war or of trade, leave the better part of his 
nature untouched, undeveloped, and as a natural consequence, are but 
too apt to suppose that such a nature does not exist, while those who 
seek him for his own good, and whose training and character are such 
as to enable them to approach him from a moral and religious stand- 
point, meet, in many cases, with a ready and sure response. The 
religion which they teach is as much of a practical as of a 
theoretical nature — to be cleanly, honest, industrious, as well as to 
attend the services and sacraments of the Church. Part of Rev. Mr. 
Fowler's work at Santee Agency was of this character, and, as I have 
said in an earlier part of my article, he gave instruction to six Indian 
bo) s, who were members of his household, in the cultivation of garden 
and farm. We are brought, then, to the conclusion, that the mis- 
sionary is, if he be a man of proper character and motive, an impor- 



A Month Amoittr the Sioux Indians. 23 

tant factor in the solution of the Indian question. Our conversation 
with such missionaries as we had an opportunity of meeting, convinced 
us of their thorough acquaintance with Indian character, and that their 
vievvs of the question at issue were untinged with " couleur de rose," but 
had been formed in the daylight of common experience. In the mani 
festations of good or evil among Indians, they led us to detect the 
presence of causes which explained their actions upon a reasonable 
basis, and gave hope of good fruit as the result of wise and just 
treatment. 

In some respects a stronger influence than that of the missionaries 
is wielded by the schools, which, under Bishop Hare's management, 
have reached a high degree of efficiency. Of the three we visited, 
Hope School, St. Mary's, and St. Paul's, it would hardly be possible 
to speak in terms of sufficient commendation. From the fact that the 
children in attendance are boarders, and not day scholars, all the 
injurious influence of their old associations is avoided, and habits of 
steady industry, of propriety in speech and behavior, are acquired at 
that age when they are likely to take strong hold upon the life. The 
children gain a knowledge of the English language, which is an abso- 
lute necessity to any future progress in civilization, and without which 
they would be almost entirely at the mercy of unscrupulous white 
men, who, hitherto, have so easily profited by the ignorance of the 
weaker race. The Bishop's schools have done much to prove that 
the Indian children are by nature just as honest and as truthful as are 
the whites, and certainlv what we ourselves saw would tend to show 
that they are equally intelligent. That they are capable ot solid 
intellectual and physical work, there can be no doubt, though I do 
not wish to maintain that they possess that vigor and energy which is 
so marked a characteristic of our own race. In the study of this 
question I think it should be clearly understood that the Indian falls 
short of the Anglo-Saxon in his capability for sustained effort, although 
Carlisle and Hampton have effected a wonderful improvement in this 
respect, and so is at present unfit to compete with the white man 
upon equal terms. But it is also true tliat he has already shown him- 
self capable of effort, which, considering his unfavorable circumstances, 



24 A Month Ajiiouj^ the Sioux Indians. 

is remarkable, and has given promise of increased capacity in the 
future could but a fair chance be accorded him. Here, then, I would 
finish my hurried sketch of what the Christian religion has accom- 
plished for the Indian. By means of church and school he has 
learned, perhaps, for the first time, of justice and of love, and has come 
to feel that the blessings of these great principles are not for the white 
man only, but for himself as well. He has been taught the dignity of 
labor, that work is the foundation-stone of life, and that within it lies 
the secret of his conqueror's success. It is no longer a question, 
"Can the Indian be civilized?" He now is in numberless instances 
civilized, as Avas clearly proved to my friend and myself during our 
journey. A more pertinent question for to-day is, "Shall we allow the 
Indian to live, or is his existence unworthy our religious and political 
effort?" To such a question the Church of Christ can render but one 
answer, so long as she shall pretend to follow in the footsteps of her 
Master who said, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least 
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto- me," and whose last com- 
mand was, "Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to every 
creature." 

Could Christians in the East but awaken to the reality of what 
has already been accomplished among the once ignorant heathen 
of the West, could they know how strength has come out of weakness, 
how even in the desert a highway has been made straight for our God, 
and that to the voice crying in the wilderness many voices have re- 
plied, surely missions^to the Indians would grow tenfold through the 
power of a vigorous faith, and the shallow sneers with which their 
advocates have so often been assailed, be answered forever. But even 
though the Church should be aroused to send into the mission field 
many times the force of men and money, which she already employs, 
there will still be enormous obstacles to block the red man's road to 
independence — obstacles which church and school are alike powerless 
to remove. 

This brings me to the political division of my subject. Very 
peculiar are the relations in which the United States Government 
stands toward the Indian. From the earliest days of the Republic 



A MflUtJi Auioiti;; tlic Sioii.x fiidiaiis. 2$ 

even to our own* time, he has been rei^anled not as a ( iti/en. subject 
alike to the protection and pnnishnient of hnv, but as a member of a 
foreign nation, with whom treaties might be made until it suited the 
good pleasure of the more powerful of the two parties to set them aside 
— as invariably happened in due course of time. Faith with an 
Indian has been cojisidered no more a necessary i)art of public 
morality than, in bygone ages, was faith with an infidel ; and so acts 
of perfidy, and frequently of wanton cruelty, have been committed 
toward men whose ignorance of our language and numerical weakness, 
has prevented other exi)ostulation than an occasional outburst of 
savage fury. Our Government has adopted a system by which the 
various Indian tribes are settled upon large tracts of land called Reser- 
vations, where food and clothing are issued to them through the 
medium of an agent, who is charged with a general supervision of their 
affairs. The strongest of all inducements for them to become a set- 
tled instead of a nomadic people, namely, an individual possession of 
the soil, has never been accorded to them. In consequence of this 
state of affairs, an Indian labors with no assurance whatever that he 
shall enjoy the scanty fruits of his toil, tor no sooner has he abandoned 
the tent of roving days, and built himself a rude cabin of logs, and 
begun to gladden the ground about his dwelling with a little crop of 
corn, and wheat, and potatoes, than the greedy eye of some white 
neighbor spies his success, and Congress knows no peace until he is 
driven westward. Not once, but a hundred times, has this been the 
history of Indian labor, and the reward it has received. We saw at 
Santee Agency a settlement of 700 people, living in cabins, farming 
their ground, and entirely peaceable in their habits, who were threat- 
ened with a change of reservation, and the consefpient loss of what 
their labor had produced. Could any policy be more destructive of 
laudable ambition, of faith in the integrity of our Government, and in 
hope for a reward of toil, than that whi( h the United States has sys- 
tematically adopted toward the red man? Where would be our pros- 

* Though within tlie hi>t few years the Goveinment has ceased to treat with the 
Indian tribes as foreign nations, they have been accorded, only in exceptional cases, 
a permanent right to their land. 



26 A Month Among the Sioux bidiaiis. 

perity, individual or national, were tlie efforts of our people charged 
with such a burden as this? Wherever the tide of emigration has 
brought the white race in close proximity to the reservations, there is a 
strong tendency on the part of settlers to invade the lands allotted 
to the Indians, and pressure is then brought to bear upon Congress to 
secure their removal to some other place. We saw a striking illustra- 
tion of this fact when at the town of Chamberlain, which is situated 
upon the east bank of the Missouri, in the Territory of Dakota, with 
Crow Creek Reservation touching its northern boundary, and Lower 
Brule, to the west, upon the opposite bank of the river. This town is 
at the present terminus of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Rail- 
road. A strong effort was on foot to break into Crow Creek Reserva- 
tion, upon the north, and to run the railroad through the Lower Brule 
Reservation, upon the west, so as to gain communication with Dead- 
wood, in the Black Hills. It was urged, with considerable show of 
reason, that for fifteen miles to the north the land was unoccupied by 
Indians, to whom much more had been given than their wants could 
possibly demand, as the country was destitute of game, and it was 
therefore unjust to forbid its cultivation by the whites. To this the 
reply might be made that were the land given to the Indians in sever- 
alty, with the assurance to each that his possession would be protected 
by the Government, then the surplus land might be opened for set- 
tlement, to the advantage of both Indians and whites. Congress has 
as yet made no provision by which the Indian can claim land upon 
the reservation where his lot is cast with the certainty of a constant 
possession. For him to claim land beyond the limits of a reservation 
is practically impossible, as his ignorance of our language, of the value 
of money, and of property in general, would put him completely at 
the mercy of men who have pity neither upon his poverty nor his lack 
of knowledge. Why, it may well be asked, should our Government 
longer hesitate to grant the Indian an individual right to the land, at 
least to such men as have turned to honest labor — land with which he 
should not be permitted to part during a given number of years, a suf- 
ficient time to allow the development of qualities moral, intellectual 
and physical, which are absolutely necessary to his self-support? The 



A Mo7ith A)no)i_^ the Si mix Indians. 27 

present jjolicy is both incunsistt-nt antl unjust, and has destroyed com 
pletely the Indian's taith in the honesty of the (rovernnient's inten- 
tions toward them, 'lo place tribes upon ground which all men know 
shall be theirs but tor a time, and of which the march of emigraticjn 
shall surely rob them, is to act alike regardless of statesmanshi]) and of 
morality. May the time be not far distant when the people of this 
country, animated by no spirit of sentimentalism, but by the dictates 
of that justice upon which their own prosperity has been most surely 
founded, will demand that a more righteous policy be pursued toward 
this people, too weak to speak in its own behalf. Before closing, 1 
would touch upon two points, which, from the political aspect of the 
iiuestion, are worthy of consideration. The first bears upon the sys- 
tem of agents, the second upon that of distributing rations. Doubt- 
less, in the present state of things, the agent is a necessity, but one 
which has connected with it many evils. First, the salary of an agent 
is not sufficient to frequently induce men of the best qualifications to 
accept the position — a position which should be regarded as one of 
very high importance, and which men of unquestioned character and 
ability should occupy. The agent is the representative of Government 
authority, in many cases among several thousand Indians, over whom 
he may exercise almost unlimited control. They regard him as chil- 
dren do a father, and are strongly influenced by his example. It is in 
his power to curtail, or stop their supply of rations; to reward with 
plenty or punish with want, to afford facilities for house building and 
farming by the supply of a thousand trifling articles which can be ob- 
tained only through him. He can encourage industry by his precept 
and example, aid those who are well dispcsed toward progress, and 
anxious to be instructed in the first rudiments of civilized life, help the 
missionary by a regular attendance at church, advance morality and 
sobriety by his own well-ordered life, in fine, exert a mighty influence 
for good upon the lives of all over whom he has been placed. Or he 
may be the reverse of all tiiis, a man devoid of dignity, capacity, sym 
pathy, puffed up with a sense of his own importance and impressed 
beyond measure by the grandeur of his position, violent in his exer- 
cise of authority, petty in his jealousy toward those who would benefit 



28 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

his people, insolent, and frequently unjust, in his administration, 
indiscreet, or as is but too often the case, immoral in the conduct of 
his private life. Our experience in the West was sufficient to show us 
that both classes of men are represented by Indian agents, and that it 
is probably due to the very insufficient salary which he receives that 
the agent of the former kind is not more frequently found than he of 
the latter. If the mass of right-thinking people in this country be- 
come aroused to a sense of the importance of the Indian question, if 
they recognize justice and honor as the basis of our dealings with this 
people, and resolve that systematic perfidy is an unworthy policy for 
the United States to pursue towards men too weak to defend them- 
selves, then may we look for a great and lasting change in this 
matter — one which will secure benefits of a substantial nature to the 
Indian, and reflect honor upon the Government. It will then be 
deemed right to place the salary of an Indian agent not at the insuf- 
ficient sum of one thousand, thirteen, or fifteen hundred dollars,* but 
at such a figure as will more certainly secure men of ability and high 
character to fill so important a post. I would now speak briefly upon 
the subject of rations issued by the Government to the Indians. That 
the Indians are at present dependent upon such help, in many, even 
in most cases, may be taken for granted. The inheritance of former 
habits, their ignorance of mechanical arts, and of farming on the part 
of the people generally, renders this a necessity ; otherwise starvation 
would unquestionably be their lot. The Government owes them such 
assistance in consideration of the many injuries inflicted upon them, 
and the wholesale appropriation of their land. But it must be remem- 
bered that the Indians are not to remain forever in this condition of 
weak dependence ; they are already accepting the general change 
which is rapidly overtaking them as a people and is fashioning their 
habits and occupations into those of settled, civilized men. With the 
progress of this movement, which it should be the Government's care 
to foster and hasten, the Indian becomes less dependent upon food 
furnished him by another, and in greater need of implements for the 

* Of later years a higher sum is given under some circumstances, but the majority 
of Agents are paid as I have stated above. 



A MontJi Ainoiis; the Sioux hidiaiis. 29 

cultivation of his farm and by which he may secure his own bread. 
Therefore, should not the poHcy of the Government look to the 
gradual decrease and final extinction of the ration system, and its sub- 
stitution by such help as men rapidly moving toward a civilized life 
might require? During our journey we heard of such an instance as 
would seem to illustrate the feasibility of this suggestion.* The In- 
dians at Sisseton Agency, at the time when reports were being indus- 
triously circulated of an impending outbreak upon their part, were 
actually petitioning the Government to supply them with farming im- 
plements in the place of rations, as they deemed the possession of 
tools of greater value than the gift of food. A serious discouragement 
to growing industry and independence on the part of many Indians 
in Bishop Hare's jurisdiction, lies in the fact that rations are issued 
at such short intervals, that men living at long distances from the 
Agency are obliged to waste valuable time in coming to the office to 
collect their goods. Indeed, we have known of Indians, who, at 
seasons when their crops demanded constant attention, found it 
cheaper to forfeit their rations than to abandon their farms in order 
to procure them. The i)rincipal difficulty, however, which lies at the 
root of the whole matter, seems to be that the Government's bounty 
has been designed rather to pacify the more restless and warlike tribes 
whose enmity it feared, than to reward and encourage those who were 
making every endeavor to lead honest and peaceable lives. This 
fact has been so patent that the wilder Indians have employed it as a 
powerful argument to dissuade their more advanced brethren from 
adopting the habits of civilized life. "Live like white men," they 
have said, " and the Government will despise and iheat you ; join us, 
rob, burn, kill, and you will get all you want."t Are we content that 
such words should be uttered in the future with the same truth as in 
the past — we who pretend that in our land of all others industry is re- 

* Since writing the article, tlie author learns that such is the ohjoct of the Depart- 
ment, and that such a plan has been successfully adopted in Indian Territory, though 
little seems to have been accomplished in that direction, in the Northwest. 

f This stricture, while at one time capable of wide application, must now be used 
in a more limited sense. 



30 A Month Among the Sioux Indians. 

warded, the rights of the poor are protected and justice is equally ad- 
ministered to all ? 

It has been my object in giving the foregoing account of our jour- 
ney, among a people of whom such contradictory reports continually 
assail the public ear, to show to others what actual contact has indeli- 
bly impressed upon myself, that the Indian is a human being, not only 
possessing the evil instincts of sloth, selfishness and cruelty, but endowed 
with all noble faculties which that term implies. He is a man ! Not 
a wild beast whose extermination is necessary to the safety of a higher 
order of creation, but a man for whom honor, purity, knowledge and 
love are not only within the range of possibility, but are qualities which 
already in numberless instances have been attained. Words are power- 
less to describe the depth of impression which our visit produced upon 
us in this respect. At every step we saw evidences of the mighty 
change — physical, intellectual, moral — which the religion of Christ has 
wrought in his condition, evidences of what his race may yet become, 
will we, as a people, not only point him to higher life, but break down 
the bars that block his progress toward it. Not twenty years have yet 
passed since the sin of slavery brought upon this land the awful chas- 
tisement of civil war, and lo ! again to-day rests upon us a kindred 
shadow lying dark and motionless across our honor. We, who never 
tire of affirming the principle of man's equality have put our foot upon 
another neck, and whilst we offer protection to the oppressed of dis- 
tant nations, we rob with systematic complacency, the poor within our 
own borders. Surely the wealth which we so persistently and dishon- 
estly extort from them, shall have but bought us in the eyes of coming 
generations a crown of infamy to invite contempt long after our 
riches have been forgotten. The time has now come when all lovers 
of liberty and justice throughout the land should awaken to vigorous 
and organized action in defence of Indian rights, assured that their 
labors will 'not be without reward. To the writer of this article it 
seems apparent that permanent good can be secured to the Indian by 
the attainment of three things : 

First, the gift of land in severalty, which should be made inalienable 



A Month Among tJic Sioux Indians. 31 

for a given term of years, to all who arc disposed toward progress and 
are desirous of tilling the soil. 

Second, the establishment of a suitable code of laws by which pro- 
tection may be secured to the innocent and pimishment to the 
guilty. 

Third, the increase of sound education by means of Government 
and Church schools, and by the vigorous 'advance of missionary effort. 
Tf these advantages can be secured to the Indian it will not be many 
years before the full rights of citizenship should be his also. 

The friends of the Indian ask not for a sentimental, but for a search- 
ing and rational consideration of this subject. They make no attempt 
to screen from public notice the atrocity of Indian war, whilst they 
demand the right to lay bare those hidden causes from which but too 
frecjuently such barbarity has sprung, and to bid men look not only 
upon the bloody spectacle of savage outbreaks, but to the beautiful 
though unnoticed triumphs of the Church, the school-house and the 
farm. They recognize the presence of evil among the red men as 
among white, and the necessity of force for its punishment, and for the 
protection of civilized life; they simply ask such discrimination in its 
employment as shall protect the innocent and punish the guilty. In 
this they invoke the aid of Christians who not only profess but live their 
creeds, and of citizens who conceive the State to rest upon a stronger 
basis than the dollar ; upon the everlasting foundation-stone of justice 
and of truth. They would suggest for the solution of this enigma a 
method so old as to be perchance obsolete, though the essence of His 
teaching who lives forever, the precept, "Whatsoever ye would men 
should do unto you, even so do ye to them " — the golden rule. 




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